We were served by a very friendly and charming waitress from the Dominican Republic who kindly told us we were ordering too much. We had assumed that the mainly tapas portions would allow us to sample many dishes we thought were interesting because of their descriptions on the menu. The portions are not huge but larger that the normal tapas dish one gets in Europe. The menu is mainly of latin american traditional cuisine beautifully presented and very tasty. The food was just sensasional, particularly the Cuban style pulled pork on top of corn tortilla, the corn and fish ceviche and the beef medallion with tamarind chutney (just superb). We ask for a second puller pork as it was so good. The restaurant is nicely decorated and has a lovely modern vibe about it.

I met a very nice guy in the pool of our beach condo last year and we began talking food and recommendations. He was the new Chef at Tantalo and he told me a bit of his background and his plans. It sounded terrific! Yet, time passed, and although I noted that the kitchen was getting wonderful reviews, it still took us nearly a year to go there for our first meal We found a few dishes so divine that we hardly refrained from licking the bowls clean of the Patatas Alegres and the Coconut Cashew Chicken. The Balsamic Egglplant and the Greek Salad both tasty and satisfying. We also had the mixed Parrillada which was a plentiful mix of tasty grilled meats at only $16. For such a trendy Casco Viejo restaurant/bar, the 3 of us ate heartily for a reasonable price The desserts were beckoning but we had already decided to get ice cream at our favorite gelateria down the street. Next time I will try at least 2 or 3 of them - they sound gorgeous.
One word of caution with a happy ending: DO NOT ORDER THE GREEN IGUANA. It sounded interesting. It cost $10. When the cocktail arrived, the guest who had ordered it passed, and no one else at the table was even able to get a few sips down.
The waitress had told us the list of ingredients that she knew were in it, but upon tasting, the "secret ingredient" may have been something the Iguana would rather have kept to himself.. When they wouldn't take the drink back, the accommodating waitress brought some fruit juice in which to mix it, but the strong flavor would not be masked. So, we stopped drinking. Had they retrieved the offensive drink, we would have ordered more drinks, wine with dinner, drinks afterwards. Tantalo's would have profitted much more than the cost of the tossed Iguana drink FORTUNATELY, I spoke with the bar tender before leaving to tell him that this was our only complaint with an otherwise outstanding meal and he would not let us leave without a couple of walk a way frozen margaritas on the house. Happy Ending. We'll certainly be back.

The Hotel Tantalo Rooftop Bar is one of the latest and best hotspots in the city. My wife and I went there on Valentine’s Day for the first time. A good mix of friendly tourists, expats, and locals filled it up by the time live music started. We enjoyed meeting a group of folks from Minnesota - oh ya.The atmosphere is wonderful as you enjoy a well-made cocktail above Casco Viejo with marvelous views of the skyline and Panama Bay. A good time to go is about the time the sun is setting and you feel the cool ocean breezes. Besides the good atmosphere, the food is tasty and the service is efficient and friendly. We decided to enjoy some of the appetizers such as corvina cakes (similar to crab cakes), nice fat mussels, and the pad Thai dish instead of a full dinner. It turned out to be plenty. The food is quickly brought up from the ground floor kitchen. If you want a full dinner, you would probably want to dine downstairs, although it lacks the ambiance of the rooftop. The Tantalo is a place where we will stop in about anytime we are in our favorite part of the city, especially when we have out-of-town guests.

Dining in the lower level restaurant was fun, service was excellent, prices reasonable and the various tapas were great. All seafood dishes tasted fresh and the pad Thai was great. After dinner drinks on the roof provided a great view of the city. Will definitely return here next trip to Panama City.